Finland's new "DIY" PM aims for business acumen in government

HELSINKI, April 20 (Reuters) - After only a few years of
party leadership, Finland's next prime minister Juha Sipila beat
electoral expectations by emphasising his business acumen as a
telecom millionaire executive while maintaining traditional
Finnish roots that emphasize self-sufficiency.

One of his companies has built a pilot wood chip power plant
in a northern town, allowing a block to switch off from the
national power grid. He converted a Chevy pick-up truck to run
on wood chips. And Sipila built a house for his family in three
months.

He also belongs to "Word of Peace", part of a Lutheran
revival movement that helps to explain his appeal to
conservative rural voters who are the foundation of his Centre
Party.

But as a successful businessman in the telecoms sector, the
53-year-old has an image that lets him reach out to an urban
middle class demanding reform and fast action to trim welfare
and other state spending.

Sipila rose through the ranks quickly at mobile phone
network component maker Solitra, becoming chief executive and
majority owner. In 1996, he pocketed around 12 million euros
when Solitra was sold to U.S.-based ADC Communications.

NONPOLITICAL FIGURE

The Centre Party led the Finnish government in 2007-2011 but
suffered a major loss in 2011 elections after the emergence of
suspicious funding arrangements by some party members.

But with Sipila, poll support picked up as voters became
frustrated by rising unemployment and bickering in the ruling
coalition, leading them to punish National Coalition and Social
Democrats.

While campaigning, Sipila toed a careful line in debates and
was criticised for hiding his cards for fear of losing momentum.

"Sipila shows up almost as a nonpolitical figure, someone
who seeks solutions and does not hang himself in any ideology, a
converging force in the time of a crisis," said senior
researcher Mari K Niemi from University of Turku.

Many of his party's policies are characterized by vagueness.
The Centre Party includes some vocal EU critics and promoters of
warmer relation with Russia. When in opposition, the party voted
against the EU bailouts of Greece, Spain and Cyprus.

Sipila was critical of a recent hawkish Nordic defence
ministers' joint statement over Russia, and unlike Alexander
Stubb, the outgoing pro-NATO prime minister, he sees military
non-alignment as the best solution for Finland.

The party's domestic election programme differs from other
major parties mainly for its focus on rural issues.

With his roots in northern Finland, Sipila wants to make use
of renewable resources in a country rich in forests. He has
proposed a new 1.5 billion euro state fund to invest in
start-ups.
(Editing by Alistair Scrutton and Eric Walsh)